My Iris, My Beloved
by TigressMoon
Summary: Two hearts, blossoming in the snow. One filled with hate, the second filled with nothing but love. Can the sins of the past be forgiven and love be found between them, or will those who would do them wrong succeed at keeping them apart. SessKag
1. Prologue

A/N Hello everyone, as some of you are well aware of, this is my sixth story on Fanfiction, and yes I am well aware that none of my others are currently finished. But this is the story that I have been meaning to write for a long time, I had tried it with Crimson Haze and it didn't work. So now I'm starting over and am hoping that this one will.

This fic is slightly darker than my usual work like Nevermore (which I'm going to repost), or at least will be once the chapters develope. Genres wise its Romance, Drama and a little Angst. So I hope that everyone enjoys.

You're faithful writer

TigressMoon

My Iris, My Beloved

By: TigressMoon

Sesshoumaru's P.O.V.

:::Flashback:::

A scream rang out in the night, a sound so pure and clear it reminded me more of a bell than a scream. And yet it was what it was. A scream torn from the lips of my beloved. Lips that I had so long yearned to kiss...were now wrapping themselves around the demand of 'Why?'

She knelt before a body, her hair the color of a raven's wing draped over the lifeless form of her fallen lover. The entirety of her small body trembled like a leaf caught in a wind as she fought the rising tide of despair.

I saw past the cascade of ebony tresses to see what lay beneath her. A man with a boyishly handsome face lay on the crimson soaked ground; crimson just like the kimono he wore. His face was peaceful as if he was merely sleeping and yet one could tell that he was not. _Death _had drained him of the warm glow of life and yet his features had not changed.

He stilled seemed ready at any moment to rise up and run, charging blindly forward in an attempt to kill me. And yet I knew, he would never be able to attempt to kill me ever again. Someone had seen to that, someone that I would punish for doing the job for me.

And whoever that creature may have been, only one thing was certain for them. They would pay for this with their lives and more. _I_ was to be the one who killed my bastard brother; _I_ was to be the one who restored our family back to glory.

And _I_...would win the love of the woman he left behind. Kagome, the miko who had captured my heart. _My _Kagome whom even now was so close and yet I might not ever have. Kagome whose eyes turned and saw me finally.

Her eyes were what attracted me to her first, those beautifully swirling maelstroms. Her eyes hold me captive even now. But then her eyes had been hard, fierce and strong from battle fury. Now she stared at me, her eyes broken, in pain, and sorrowful.

She rose to her feet swaying as she fought to hold her balance. When she faced me I saw the anger surface in her eyes as another wave of fresh tears sprang forth from the fount. I could smell the salt of them that had probably clung to her for hours, and I saw the anguish that was her aura.

Her aura was a swirl of violent colors that seemed to writhe like a flame. Blues of an icy and royal shade, black so dark it glistened and the undeniable blaze of scarlet made up the infernal flower of her aura. And yet for the life of me I could not understand why this anger was directed towards me. She answered my unspoken question with one word.

"Murderer." She whispered.

Her voice was a whisper laced with painful sorrow. That and the statement forced me to take a step back surprised. Tetsiega appeared in her hand, newly transformed and radiating with the force of her emotions. It trembled as it absorbed her power and made it its own.

"Kagome?"

She flinched at the sound as if it were a curse and not the beautiful word I had long come to love. Anger was beginning to blossom in her eyes like a blood red rose, an anger that clouded the sapphire pools with a hazy bloodlust.

"She's dead." Kagome whispered as she fixed her grip on the massive sword.

"You killed her with Inuyasha!" She yelled and launched herself forward.

I had enough time to bring my sword out and block her attack. Her speed was incredible; she'd cleared the distance between us as fast as any demon. And yet I could smell no youkai in her, or at least not on a whole.

I wondered when it was she had taken up swordsmanship for she was quite good; this level of skill did not come recently. She'd have to have been training in secret for years, because niether neither my brother nor I were aware of this.

Her eyes as she fought me were a marvel to behold. It was a look that would freeze a man's blood. Her gaze was full of hatred and anger and yet still so clouded by pain. A pain that I would have given anything to make disappear. As she lashed out with the sword I ducked behind her and as I stood back up wrapped my arms about her.

She hissed and began to struggle but could not move, let alone left the heavy weight of Tetsiega. The rush of her emotions bathed over me, like a hot invisible wave. I felt the burn of her pain and the depth of her confusion. But even that was lost to me as I was drenched in the abyss of her scent.

She smelled strongly of vanilla and cherries an undeniably alluring blend of sweetness and temptation. Her scent enveloped me, clouding my thoughts for a moment. I had been so immersed in the thought that i did not see her pull out a dagger.

With an angry snarl plunged the sharp blade up into my arm. With a growl I released her and she fell to the ground, the Tetsiega lost in the descent. She turned mid fall to slap the ground with her arms, dulling the impact.

I was beginning to hear the sounds of humans; they'd heard her scream and were now coming to inspect what had happened. Kagome heard them as well. For a split second her eyes shifted to the horizon, but even before I could move her eyes were back on me.

She stared up at me, her eyes a blaze with crimson fury. And yet even so, I could smell her fear. And that cut me more deeply than the blade she'd used. The blade was still in her hand. Ignoring it, I stepped forward. But then another blade appeared in her hands. This one was pointed at me, the other at her throat.

"If you take another step towards me Murderer, I will kill us both." She declared calmly.

I was stilled by her threat, hurt by the way she'd referred to me. Who had I murdered? I looked behind her, and saw Inuyasha's body. Did she think I'd killed him? But I had no time to say otherwise; the villagers had cleared the horizon pitchforks and all. And I knew me killing all of them would not help my case.

I turned and stared at Kagome, a mask so cold, that not even my feelings for her could show through, set on my face. I spoke to her in the same voice I'd used for anyone, as if she did not matter to me.

"I will return for you miko, mark my words on it." And at that I disappeared in a gust of wind.

:::End Flashback:::

Thinking on that day, I know that my phrasing could have been better. Considering what she thought of me and what I'd done, yes, the phrasing could have been _much _better. But I had not been thinking clearly. It seems her confusion had seeped into me and I was unsure of what to do.

That...had been seven years ago.

Seven long years have passed since the last time I looked upon the miko named Kagome. Seven endless summers and seven lonely winters, with the seventh not to long gone by have passed and I have heard little about her. And what I had been told had made my blood boil with fury.

There were rumors that a powerful miko had been captured by Naraku and was being held captive in his stronghold so that he might torture her. In reply, I claimed that he'd stolen one of my demon servants and I saw fit to find her. But the only woman I'd found in that wretched place could not possibly have been Kagome.

I found her strapped to a worktable, her body a mass of barely healing gashes, cuts, and burns. Her bones had been broken all but a few, her chopped off hair barely reaching her ears. And her eyes for they were what I would have used to render her Kagome were gone and her tongue had been cut out.

The woman was not Kagome, but I would not leave her there in that hell. I had her freed but know not what happened to her; my heart and mind were still for Kagome and Kagome alone. But I had not found her and my heart that had begun to thaw with the love I felt for her was beginning to freeze again as time went on.

I was beginning to believe that truly she was dead, and I had let her go without her knowing the truth. I was beginning to come to terms with it, almost ready to acknowledge it and move on when again opportunity called me.

This is were my story begins. The story of how the most powerful taiyoukai in centuries was tamed by a deadly flower. The story of Sesshoumaru Tai and Kagome Higurashi my Iris, my beloved.

So there was the Prologue and next is Chapter One. Hope you're intrigued, so here's the next Chapter. Spring's Promise


	2. Chapter 1: Spring's Promise

So there was the Prologue and next is Chapter One. Hope you're intrigued, so here's the next Chapter. Spring's Promise

My Iris, My Beloved

Chapter 1: Spring's Promise

By: TigressMoon

"My Lord Sesshoumaru?" A woman's voice asked.

I looked up from my papers to see a young demoness with waist long ebony hair streaked with silver. She was small and dainty at five-foot-five, and was already beginning to fill into her woman's body. Her eyes were a warm chocolate brown as she stared at me as would a daughter her father, which in a sense I was.

"Yes Rin." I replied.

She stepped carefully inside so as not to snag the lovely green and gold kimono she wore. She curtsied and said.

"Father, there is word of another rebellion." She stated heavily.

A deep sigh escaped my lips, I was not sure I could stand another rebellion from my demon underlings. The reason for this one I was uncertain of. The last had been because I refused to let them steal human women, the previous one, no killing of humans in my territory. And I believed that the one before that was refusing to let my humans give them offerings.

Many of them were young and pigheaded, and too stubborn to realize that disobeying my orders was a deathwish.

"Rin do you know what this uprising is for."

She looked down and blushed, and I had a rather strong suspicion that she did.

"Partially." She whispered.

"Speak up Rin."

She took a deep breath and then said very slowly, very carefully.

"The demons are uprising...because...I. I denied them...the right to court me."

I was up and out of my seat before she could even look at me. I breezed past her and stormed out of the room, the anger I felt coming out as a rising tide of heat about my body. But it never showed on my face.

Rin appeared by my side a moment later, her face flushed still from embarrassment.

"Father, what are you doing?" She asked while taking two steps for my one.

"I'm going to kill them." I replied calmly.

Rin gawked at me for a moment, as she fought to keep up with me.

"But father..." I stopped her.

"No Rin, this is the last time I will have dissention in the ranks. I've been lenient for too long. They need to be reminded that this Sesshoumaru does not tolerate betrayal."

"I understand father." She sighed. "But do not forget, there are rumors of that assassin about. This may just be a trap." She cautioned.

I stopped as I reached the armory and began choosing weapons. When she said those words I stopped, she was right and I knew it. But who really would be foolish enough to try and ambush this Sesshoumaru.

I strapped a pair of knives around my wrists and calves, as well as set of daggers showed at my hips across from the Tensiega.

"I know Rin, but fear not. Nothing will happen in this Sesshoumaru's absence." I told her.

She bowed and stared at the horizon, a worried look in her eyes.

"All will be well, now go tend to Jaken, he will wonder where I have gone. Especially without him."

Rin smiled then at the thought of her old caretaker. She and Jaken had come to an agreement and the truce had kept them from trying to kill each other. Rin bowed again and left in the same instant.

I stopped assembling weapons to take a deep breath and think. There was a time when I would have just ordered her out, have not comforted her in anyway. Maybe it was true what the peasants say. Maybe I am going soft.

I buried the thought; my people and family could not afford for me to be soft. I had built my empire on being cruel, viscous and cold, it was not about to change because some spring happy mongrels thought they would take over my territory.

They would pay, and this Sesshoumaru would see to it.

The day was just dawning, the sun barely peaking over the horizon. The air was crisp and cool, the last of winter's chill still on the breeze. Snow still lay a thick blanket on the earth, as if it to refused to release its hold. Spring was here, but the earth had not seemed to notice.

For only a moment I had considered bringing a Calvary, then thought better of it. No one would ever say that Sesshoumaru Tai; Lord of the Western Lands needed an army to destroy an almost nonexistent threat.

No, this was a mission I would handle on my own. It was about time that the Sesshoumaru of old made an appearance. It was about time for them to realize that it was _I_ who ruled here, and they needed to be reminded of why.

I picked up their scent some miles away from my castle, the thought of that alone made crimson flare into my eyes. They were bold, or very stupid. To set a trail this close to my home. Either that or it was a challenge, one I had no qualms against accepting.

I followed their trail almost to the outskirts of my territory, stopping at the villages periodically to find if they had stolen anything. The reply was the same, only the most beautiful woman from each village. By the time he reached the last of them, over thirty-five women had been taken.

I had been right about the demons; they were stupid and bold. Known of them would remember that humans were slow and would hinder their progress, their scents easier to track. But I discovered a surprise at the last village; all of the captured women were there. Scared but unharmed. They were awaiting transportation back to their homes.

When I found him, I asked the village priest what had happened. The demons had passed through his village as well seeking the town's jewel. But what they found was not what they expected. The woman was a priestess of untold power, she told that the if they released the rest of the women she would go with them willingly and make them more powerful than they had ever imagined.

Something about the story did not seem to make since in my mind. What woman could be so powerful that one she could without hesitation make the offer, and then convince the demons to release their bounty. When I asked the priest he replied.

"She showed them a glimmer of her power. She killed two of the demons."

"How?" I asked.

The man gulped.

"She...looked...at him." He began as he shifted his weight from foot to foot, as if nervous. "She looked at him, and it killed him."

My brow arched in question.

"She merely..._looked _at him? And the demon fell?"

"At first glance that was what it appeared to be, she just looked at him. But then the demon's eyes widened with fear. He seemed completely terrified of her; he pressed his hands against his skull and began whimpering in pain. He started screaming. 'MAKE IT STOP, MAKE IT STOP!' and before the others could reach him, he keeled over. Blood pooled from his ears, eyes and nose. When we went to examine him, we realized the demon's heart had burst. It had died of fear."

"And what of the other?" I asked in the same aloof tone. But in my mind I was trying to understand how someone could have terrified someone into making their own heart burst.

"The other was the fallen demon's brother. With an outraged screech he grabbed her arm, for a moment she did not seem to notice but then her eyes turned to his. And he too pulled away, the horrified gaze setting in his features. Then as if invisible claws wracked his body, he was torn apart. Literally torn apart, blood splattered everywhere. Except for the woman, she stood as immaculate and pristine as ever amidst all the carnage."

For a moment I did not speak, my mind still trying to put the pieces together. Whoever this woman was, she did have the potential to make those demons as powerful as herself or even more. But was that truly her motive?

"What does she look like?"

"Beautiful."

Again my brow raised.

"That is all, just beautiful."

The man stared up at me.

"No, not just beautiful. So beautiful that it was terrifying."

He said, his voice rising to the point that it was almost a squeak.

"I will find her, and kill the demons that took her. Rest assured, there will be no other rebellions for as long as you live." I promised as I began to leave.

The man's face became tight with apprehension and he called out to me.

"My lord, if you will hear me. I have something else that you might wish to know."

I stopped and turned around to face him. I must have given some indication to continue for he did so a moment later.

"Be wary of this woman my lord, she is far more than she seems."

What a surprise I thought dryly.

"Be wary my Lord Sesshoumaru, this woman...she and everything about her is...unnatural. Do not look her in the eye if you can help it. One of our men did so...he is currently mad."

The message was duly noted and I nodded my thanks as I left. As I reached the outskirts of the village, I found that the rebels trail was fresh. I had not lost time with the villagers; instead they were right were I wanted them to be.

A half-hour later, I was reaching a hill summit. Whereas the area in and around town had had the snow shoveled away, here it was still thick and crunched under my feet. Not far before me I could hear the sounds of battle, the yelps of the wounded, angry battle cries and the sharp clash of metal against metal.

As I broke the summit, surprise settled into the pit of my stomach but did not appear on my face. What I had thought to be a small band of rebels was a force with enough demons to rival my own army. But what was worse.

More than half of them lay already dead.

Fighting amongst the demons still alive, a woman stood amidst the fray. She wore a kimono as white as the snow around her, long ebony colored hair flying about her like a banner as she spun with twin sabers glistening in her hands.

She moved through them with a dancer's grace, her tall lithe body pulling the blades behind her. With every twirl another demon fell, its blood splattering against the snow. And I will tell you now.

No substance blazes brighter than fresh blood on virgin snow.

Even her kimono had been stained with blood, the crimson flaring against the brighter than white of the fabric. With one final swing the last of the rebels, the leader I presumed, fell dead. His head cut clear off his body. It rolled in the snow for a moment; the look of surprise would be frozen on his face for all eternity.

Nothing moved in the clearing, all life seemed to stop as the woman merely stood there staring down at the dead demon's head. Then it seemed she became aware of my presence. She stood up straight and tall, her back still facing me. But her head turned towards me and I saw her for the first time.

The priest had been right; she was not just beautiful she was terrifying. Her skin was as pale as snow, delicate and smooth. It made her blood red of her lips seem darker, more menacing. And even made deeper the shadow of her ebony hair. That paradox alone was unsettling. And something about her hair did not seem right; I realized moments later there were no highlights to it. Most hair types have a lighter highlight, ebony's usual being blue. But hers was just black, a deep rich black.

She had sharp high cheekbones that were accented by upward pointing almond shaped eyes. And it was in her eye that I saw where her true beauty lay. They were a pale almost icy blue, without even a hint of gray. The seemed like blue tinted ice. But they were beautiful; beautiful in the way you knew a tiger was beautiful although you knew it was dangerous.

There was something about her that seemed feline; maybe it was the way she glided, as if she had bones in places that others lacked. Or maybe the soft calculating shift in her eyes, but something about her was feline and I wanted to know what. I was about to question her when she turned to completely face me, and I stopped when I saw the right eye.

It was blue! But then again not just blue, sapphire. The deep swirling sapphire that belonged to my beloved. In the instant that I saw it, I knew it was she.

"Kagome?" I whispered and took a step forward.

For a moment my mind refused to accept it, I forgot about the sabers in her hand, the blood still on her kimono. And even the scent of blood that clung to her. No, Kagome couldn't be the assassin everyone spoke of. Not _my _Kagome.

Recognition flashed through the sapphire eye, but as her eyes narrowed it was swallowed up by the tinted eyes. Now as she gazed at me, both eyes of the tigers of the north. I ignored the priest's warning and stared deeply into those eyes.

And it did not take long for my world to become nothing but pain.

Pain erupted in my body, sharp and burning. It felt as if large poisonous claws were ripping at my body. I fell to my knees; I could even feel the pieces of flesh being torn from my body. Somehow I was able to stare up at her. Her eyes were calm as she watched me, but it was then that the pain doubled.

I growled as the pain forced me completely down onto the snow and I writhed against the cold snow, hoping it would put out the fire in me. I felt claws slash along my face, could feel my searing hot blood trickle down skin face. A crimson haze settled over my eyes, and ever so faintly I saw Kagome appear in front of me.

Her face still so beautiful, I reached for her. Her eyes still on mine; I didn't even see her raise her sword over my head. I had not the sense to move, or try to defend myself. All I could see where those eyes, that momentarily shifted back to sapphire. Both eyes this time. Kagome, _my _Kagome was staring down at me.

I whispered 'beloved' just as the blade began to fall.

First off, thanks to everyone for reading this fic. I hope everyone has enjoyed it so far. The later chapters will explain everything if anyones confused, if your too confused and can't wait, feel free to email or im me and I'll explain. Also, in case someone gets the bright idea to say it. The thing Kagome's eyes can do is not mine, it comes from a new anime I just saw called 'The Get Backers', I think its spelt the Jagon, so no body try and say I plagerized. I'll correct what its called in the next chapter. Thanks everyone for reading, Goddess bless.


	3. Chapter 2: Tigress In the Snow

A/N I was doing research on the iris flower because I was not sure if I actually would use it in this fic but then I saw its other nicknames, and oddly enough I had planned to use an animal reference, one that I had not known was already tied to the flower. Nor did I know how well it would fit. It wasn't until I remembered the animal was myself that I laughed about it. So you'll have to forgive me for using a bit of myself in this story. Either way, you'll understand what I'm talking about when you read so here's Chapter 2: A Tigress in the Snow

My Iris, My Beloved

Chapter 2: A Tigress in the Snow

There was a burning; it swept through my body like a wildfire. And yet it was unlike the searing heat of before. I felt this burn an instant after I felt the bite of the blade at my neck. It cut cleanly though my skin, and hesitated for just a moment at the bone. But it too gave. I blinked then saw nothing but darkness.

(A/N Wouldn't that have been a _wicked_ cliff hanger )

But as quickly as it had arrived, the darkness was fading. It was then that a voice pierced the veil over my mind.

"Be proud Lord Sesshomaru...you're alive."

The voice was female, rich in tone and rolled like the waves of the sea. It was melodious and beautiful. I knew the voice and to whom it belonged.

_Kagome?_

I opened my eyes and like shadows fleeing from dawn, my world slowly became clear again. It took a moment for my eyes to focus on what I saw. And then the image of a woman standing some yards from me became clear. A pair of eyes was gazing at me, set in a face so beautiful it was almost painful.

One eye was a deep swirling sapphire, the other a still icy blue. They were nearly the perfect paradox of the other. At the sight of her, still clad in the bloodstained kimono and a saber still in hand, I dropped to my knees. My hand went to my throat; I was alive and whole. But moments before it had not felt so.

My mind reeled, still trying to grasp a coherent thought. It refused to put the pieces together; I could not believe that Kagome was the famed assassin that had become the bogeyman among demons. I refused to believe that this cold unyielding wraith before me was the woman I would have given everything up for.

"_Nasty _little trick isn't it demon lord." The woman declared while stepping forward.

"Being trapped in a nightmare that seems as real as you or I."

She knelt down beside me. She caught my chin between her long slender fingers and made me look at her. The trap of her eyes caught me again. I couldn't look away, nor did I want to. Her words cut through my thoughts again like a knife, her voice was almost dangerously playful.

"I had wanted to do those things to you and more once."

I stared into her eyes and was unable to say what was on my mind. Her scent was making me lightheaded, she still smelled of vanilla and cherries but even below it. Faintly underneath, she smelled of blood. The combination should have scared a normal man, but I drew in that scent until I was dizzy with it. She was dancing dangerously close to the primal beast that lay within each demon, myself including.

_There are many things I still want to do to you miko._

I whispered her name again and with a scowl she pulled away from me. The sudden lack of her presence almost made me stagger. She was doing something to me, as she had so many years again. Never in all my life had I been so vulnerable around a creature let alone a woman. I needed her around me, wanted her around me.

She could strip me down now with those eyes or her touch and I would not care. Quite frankly I would help her. I still wanted to reach out and take her right then and there in the snow, to make her scream my name in ecstasy. The thought was so appealing and yet might never happen. I didn't even hear her when she told me she wasn't Kagome.

I forced myself to stand, my hand still at my throat I asked her.

"How was that possible? What did you do?"

The woman that was and was not Kagome picked up her swords. She swiped outwards at the air, the movement removing most of the blood from the sword. The rest she wiped on a fallen's carcass.

"The moment your eyes made contact with mine you were trapped in a nightmare, a very vivid nightmare, but one nonetheless." She explained.

"How long did that last?" I demanded.

She gazed at me, the left eye glimmering, but with what emotion I was unsure. In the other something lay there, a feeling trying to come out and yet I could not place it. She stopped me from thinking on it further when she declared.

"One minute."

I forced myself to not drop to my knees, to make that foul words stop buzzing in my head. One minute. It was not possible, that pain was too vivid to have lasted for only an instant. She stepped forward again, her movements fluid and graceful, almost feline.

"I am surprised that it did not kill you, you have gotten stronger these long years Murderer."

She began to circle me, close enough for me to touch her, but far enough where I'd have to reach for her to do so. What lay on her face I could not say, I was still fighting to breath.

"As have you flower...dangerously so."

I did not so much see her smile as I sense it, I could even hear it in her words.

"And who am I a danger to Murderer." She came in close, her scent enveloped me as she swirled around my body. "Not the Great Lord Sesshoumaru?" She asked.

I shuddered at the silken purr of her voice, I had to fight very hard not to reach for her. To not crush her body to mine and drown her in sharp passionate kisses. She came and stood before me, all playfulness gone, a deadly calm settled over her features.

"Tell me why I should not kill you Murderer?"

The question was direct, as if she thought of me as some insect that she could merely squash. It was then that I regained myself; I would not let this woman hold dominion over me. I was to be feared, not the other way around.

"Because miko, as cold as you think you might have become. I know in your heart you could not kill an innocent person. For I am no murderer."

Now I was beginning to sound more like myself. The initial shock was fading and no longer did I have reason to fall victim to her spell. She stood before me, unsure for a moment of what to say. In that moment the urge to touch her in anyway began to overpower me.

"I _could_ kill you..."

The words did not pass her lips for I appeared behind her and with one arm stilled her movement and with the other crushed her to my chest. She growled against my hand, and one hand tried to grasp my own.

Something in her scent changed. Whereas before their was a sharp chill about her, the scent changed to radiate with heat. A wicked smile crossed my face. My voice was honey-thick as I whispered in her ear.

"Could you truly kill me my iris?"

She shuddered in my arms, the first real reaction I had seen her give.

"Release me Sesshoumaru."

Her voice was stern and yet was breathy. Her body betrayed what was left of her resolves when she leaned into me. So close...she was so close that I could feel her tantalizing skin under her clothes. Fleetingly I heard movement about us but paid it no mind.

It was then I saw something I had not. I had not noticed before the delicate point of her ears, they were almost the exact copy of my own. Tenderly I drew it between my teeth. Kagome drew a sharp breath and moaned.

"...Sesshoumaru...you know not...what you do."

"You're wrong little iris, I know _very_ well what I do."

I felt the change in her moments before she pulled away from me. Again the sudden lack of her presence was staggering. She glared at me and crimson began to pool into her left eye, another startling however interesting combination of colors.

Her aura flared to life about her, an array of icy blues that mingled with sapphire threads. It danced about her like a flame. Twin ebony claw marks appeared on each cheek, and a crescent moon the exact opposite of my own appeared on her forehead. Had I any doubts that she was a demon locked in a human skin, was lost in that moment. The sounds of movement I had heard before seemed to grow slightly louder but still I ignored it, my senses were for Kagome alone.

"I will _not _let you destroy me as you did Inuyasha." She hissed.

"I did not kill my half-brother Kagome..."

"I AM NOT KAGOME!" She snarled, crimson overpowered the icy blue of her right eye and again was another reminder of all her wonderfully dark paradoxes.

"Then tell me, what would you have me call you?" I asked.

Slowly she began to calm, like a storm just beginning to subside.

"Tigress." She declared. "My family calls me Tigress."

My brow arched at the statement, one because of her new name. I had been right in sensing something distinctly feline about her and yet had not understood why. It was even in her movements, she moved as if she had bones in places others did not. And also realized the other irony. My name for her was Iris; the iris is also the tiger-flower.

However I was unsure of what she meant by 'family' and that in itself irritated me. The word family brought to mind the image of a man, woman, and their children. If Kagome, I refused to call her anything else unless it was out loud, if...Tigress had either, I would be unable to take it. I heard something stir in the forest behind us, something that was large yet stealthy. But my eyes remained glued to this enigmatic creature that was my beloved and yet was not.

"Your...family?" I repeated.

"Yes, my family." She said firmly.

I crossed my arms over my chest and gave her a calculating look. Cynically I asked.

"And what family would that be pray tell?"

She looked past me pointing over my shoulders and answered.

"_Them_."

The moment I turned around, over a dozen large cats stepped out of the forest. There was a reason as to why I could not see them before. They were as white as the snow only brighter, as if they glowed against the white earth. Darker than ebony stripes decorated their fur and rippled over taut muscles.

They stalked out of the tree line; pale icy blues were their calm calculating eyes. They moved with a practiced yet casual grace that could put a dancer to shame. Half that appeared formed a protective circle about Kagome and the rest came just within launching distance of me.

"This is my family demon lord."

And by the gods were her family a force to be reckoned with, for they were large, and not just in numbers. Over a dozen stood before me, but I could feel others in the background. But they were massive in size. The two smallest just scraped five feet tall at the shoulders, and were over twice that in length.

Their size, along with their cruel almost half a foot long claws and fangs made me hesitate to move. They seemed ready to strike at even the hint of budging. Their cold eyes were like that of their mistress and something about it clicked in my head. These weren't just cats they were tigers.

And that realization made another piece fall into place. Tigress my Iris was the flower of her family. She was the flower of tigers. Yes, it all made sense.

My eyes turned to my iris; she seemed calmer around them. As if she felt safe around them. And yet something was different, tension was in the air. It circulated about her life a swarm of hornets. Suddenly she seemed so terribly frail that I took a step forward. The only two males that I had seen took defensive steps forward. Their lips curled away from their sharp fangs and they hissed warningly. I ignored them to keep my sanity.

"Your family is impressive Tigress, but is there presence here truly necessary."

She stared at me, her eyes unsure and beginning to haze.

"My family is here because I am here, they go where I go demon lord."

She then stopped, her eyes narrowing in a glare. She stood stark still as if listening to something. The other tigers seemed to hear it as well for they too seemed to have turned to stone. I thought for a moment they were in a trance until Kagome made the first moved. Her full lips curled away to reveal sharp cruel fangs. She was growling.

"No."

It was the only thing she said and I had no inkling as to why she had said it. She was clearly angry and was close to bristling from rage. Before I could further comment she snapped.

"But he's not worthy! You cannot be serious!"

It was as if she were having a conversation with someone one she and the tigers could hear. I hoped that that was the case and that she had not totally lost her mind. She rounded on me as if she heard the thought; the icy blue eye flashing crimson while the other still remained sapphire.

That was another thing that I had noticed. When she was angry, only the tiger's eye ever seemed to feel the rage. Never the eye that I thought to be Kagome's show rage, that eye watched me with a different emotion. It was so familiar and yet I could not place what it was. Before I could think on it further she spoke.

"You. Come with me." Not even waiting for a reply she turned and started walking in the other direction.

"I'm not some mutt to be ordered around wench." I growled before I could think.

The look she gave me as she gazed at me over her shoulder would have made any other man save me shudder or bolt. But I held firm refusing to squirm under that stare.

"You are a dog demon which is close enough." She retorted. "Now follow me, there is someone who wants to meet you."

At that she and her family began to disappear into the forest, Kagome was the only one who could not fully pull it off, her kimono was still boldly splashed with blood. She would have been lost among the black and white world had it not been for it. I began following her for the simple reason of wanting to know whom she meant.

She had obviously been speaking to this person just a moment before, but it was a conversation that I had been excluded from. Reluctantly she obeyed meaning she either had great respect or fear of this person; I believed it to be the former.

She and her family led me deep into the forest; the only sound that dwelt here was the sound of our feet or paws crushing the snow beneath us. Minutes later she stopped in the dead center of a clearing. The tigers began to form a protective circle where the tree line ended. When I stepped past them the two youngest flanked behind me and closed the circle.

Kagome stood in the center, her eyes intent on whatever lay before her. I knew that the others were not watching her but whatever Kagome was looking at. I could not see what it was but I knew it was there, I knew the moment I stepped into their circle. Power emanated in the clearing, something was here but did not necessarily wish to show itself.

"Show yourself mother, the demon lord knows you are here, but he is unable to see you."

_I know that my daughter._ A deep almost playful voice declared.

The voice not only sounded around us, but it was in my mind...my head. I growled and stepped back trying to see where the voice was coming from.

_It's just amusing to watch him squirm._

In that instant there was a flash of light so strong that it forced me to shield my eyes, when it died I found to my shock what had made that voice. A tiger large enough to put the others to shame stood not even centimeters from Kagome, who knelt down beside it.

It was merely thirty feet in length, as it lay almost content to observe me from where it lay. Its whiter than white fur glistened in the sunlight setting the sable stripes to even darker tones. Its large tail thumped the earth contentedly while its eyes like blue tinted ice casually regarded me. There was an ancient wisdom in those eyes, but even more so they looked amused.

My sword was in my hand before I could stop myself and the tigers who had observed all this calmly sitting on their haunches went almost instantly into battle mode, Kagome rose too her sword in hand.

_Stand down my children._ The tigress declared calmly. _The demon lord can do me no harm._

Her 'children' did so reluctantly and this time lay down exactly mimicking their leader. When Kagome cautiously sheathed her sword she glared at me and then informed me.

"This is matriarch to all around you." She gestured to all the tigresses and two males.

(A/N Sorry to interrupt, but thought you might like to know. Akila is Egyptian for Intelligent, but in this story I will twist it to mean Ancient Wisdom, as you were...)

The mother tigress rose to her feet, she moved with the same feline grace but something was different, she moved as if her bones were somewhat stiff and I realized than that she was far older than she looked. She sat on her haunches and just tipped past being twenty feet at the shoulders; she inclined her head to me in acknowledgement.

_Greetings Lord Sesshoumaru of the Western Lands. I am the Nimira (Queen) of the Sabertooth clan; you may call me Akila._

For a moment I knew not what to say nor knew exactly what was the protocol for their clans so I stuck to what I knew and inclined my head and replied in kind.

"My greetings Nimira Akila, why have you called me here?" I asked.

She then stood up and stretched leisurely, cruel foot long claws slipped from their sheath and casually stroked the ground. She turned away from the group, the tigers at the back moved away from her and us. Her voice sounded again in my head, I would learn later that it was for me and me alone.

_Come walk with me Lord Sesshoumaru and all will be explained._

I looked at Kagome, who alternated between looking at me and then Akila. Then she settled for glaring at me. She gazed at Akila and whatever was said between them I do not know but she then turned with an exasperated growl and knelt down among her kindred. I watched as they flanked around her, nuzzling her fondly and envied them for bringing a smile onto her face.

_There is not much time Sesshoumaru._

Akila's voice cut through my thoughts like a blade, shaking myself I followed after her. When we were out of hearing distance I came and walked by her side. She asked me.

_You know Tigress, and better yet of whom she was?_

"Yes," I declared. "She was once a miko named Kagome who traveled with my half-brother Inuyasha."

_Where is Inuyasha?_

"He is dead."

_My condolences demon lord. _She said apologetically.

"It is of no consequence, he has been dead for seven years."

Akila stopped and gave me a long calculating look.

_Tigress...Ka-go-me. _She was trying to wrap her tongue around the name._ Kagome was given to us only six years ago. What happened in the year between?_

"That...I do not know."

This time when Akila stopped she sat down on her haunches and thought, then gave me another calculating look. It made me straighten for some reason, as if she could see things in me that others could not.

_There is a reason why I asked Kagome to bring you here Lord Sesshoumaru and I will tell you now._ She took a deep breath and then began.

_Not long ago I was patrolling these lands alone; I felt a phantom presence press against our boarders. The aura felt like many demons and yet was in a small singular place, it confused and puzzled me, but the moment it knew I knew it was there it vanished. Some time later I felt that presence again, this time not far from Kagome. _

Her eyes rested on me then, her gaze holding me effortlessly in place.

_That thing, whatever it is, is looking for her. I am not as young as I used to be as you are now aware of, and while I am still a force to be reckoned with, I do not trust whatever it is that hunts her. _

"And what would you have me do?" I asked.

_Take her from here; take her someplace safe. I do not care if it is your home, or a hut in foreign lands, but I want her safe from whatever is stalking her._

I do not know what possessed me, but I felt the need to push her.

"And how do you know I am not the thing stalking her?"

Her growl made me flinch and I felt her power seep into the air like a thick heat, it latched itself around me almost suffocating me. Her eyes flared with cold hatred.

_I may be old but I am still more than a match for you, demon lord._ She tightened her hold on me for emphasis. _Do yourself a favor and not make me kill you when I still need you alive._

Her power subsided and allowed me the ability to breath. By the time I had completely recovered, Akila had began to walk back towards the others. I hurried to catch up to her.

_Lord Sesshoumaru...very soon this land will be inherited by my children, I will not be here to guard them. I do this as much for them as I do Kagome, for in my heart of hearts she is one of my own._

The others were not that far from us, I could see Kagome as clear as day. She sat among her kindred, cubs as large as full-grown dogs romped around and on her. She laughed with them, the first time I had done so. And I noticed something when I looked into her laughing eyes; they were both sapphire.

It nearly forced a gasp from me and I looked up at Akila, who was giving a tender catty grin.

_You would be her mate if she let you?_

The question was both personal and unexpected; all I could do was nod in earnest.

_You are true of heart and would be a good match for her, but you have much work to do demon lord. She has dealt with much pain and you would have to deal with two very different people to win the whole. _

"I do not understand." I told her and I heard her chuckle huskily in my mind.

_I know when you look at her you see her two shaded eyes, the blue like the night sky is hers and the frost was given to her when we gave her the soul of a youkai to save her human one. To win her heart, you must conquer both._

Before I could say anything else she stepped past me and towards her family.

_My children I have an announcement._

All ceased whatever they were doing to come and stand before their mother. The other tigresses huddled in close while the lone two males took up the rear. For some reason my heart went out to them, and understood their plight. It would not be long until they were forced from this circle. And I had no idea how soon it would be.

_My dear children, as you know I will not be with you for much longer and it is with that in mind that I have come to this decision. Kagome come forward._

Kagome's head snapped up when she heard her name be called by her feline matriarch, and she glared at me under her bangs.

_When I am gone Kagome, these lands will not be safe for you for long. Your power has grown much and will bring many demons here, and while the family would protect your, doing so would put them at risk. And I know in your heart that you would not want that to happen._ She paused then continued.

_And it is because of that that you will leave here with Lord Sesshoumaru._

Chaos broke loose in the clearing; there were angry snarls and roars of defiance, sorrow and denial. The sudden burst of noise made me want to cover my ears but I refused to. Then a snarl so fierce and compelling filled the air that all others yielded before it. When I looked again, all except Kagome had dropped to down low to the ground as a sign of submission.

Akila's hackles were raised as she continued to snarl, her back arched and bristling making her already massive body larger. Her angry words resonated in all out skulls.

_**I AM THE NIMIRA OF THIS CLAN!** How **dare** you all raise such a tone to me! All except Kagome, the demon lord and the twins are to wait outside the forest till I call you back._

There was a unanimous yet unheard yowl of anger before all but who were told left. I wondered why she had let the young males stay. When all was quiet again, she gave an annoyed huff and settled down on her haunches. Kagome stepped forward.

"Mother you cannot do this, there must be someplace I can go that does not involve _him_."

She said my name with such venom that it took me aback.

_There is no other choice my dear, there are few else who would do so, let alone those I would trust with the task. And him I do. Now sleep._

The sudden change of subject made me stare at Akila but then Kagome's startled gasp made my eyes return to her. They had widened with near fear.

"No mother, don't do it!"

But already her eyes were drooping as if she were being hypnotized.

_Sleep my little tigress, and be safe._

Kagome began to sway on her feet and I caught her moments before she would have fallen to the ground. I cradled her to my chest before carrying her bride-style.

_And you two, come forward._

The two males came shyly forward, tales drooped.

_Lord Sesshoumaru these are Frost and Snow, they will be accompanying you and Kagome._

The three of us cast one look at each other and said 'No.' Akila bristled again, and growled.

_This is not subject to debate demon lord; you will need familiar faces to dull the Kagome's fury when she wakes up._

"And I am not capable of handling it on my own?" I asked a little insulted.

_If anything, you will be the one she turns on first. So do we have a deal Lord Sesshoumaru?_

I sighed and thought about it for a moment, the males might come in handy. They were large and intimidating; perfect for protecting Kagome when I was not around and for some reason I found that they could understand me as much as I could understand them. With another sigh I declared.

"Yes."

_Good, farewell my children. I wish thee well._

Without another word Akila disappeared, not melted into the snow like her children, just simply vanished. It still baffled me how one so large could manage to do so. I took one last look at the twins and then at the sleeping woman in my arms. She was already beginning to show signs of waking. And I wondered in that moment, just what exactly I had gotten myself into.

And that everyone is Chapter 2; I hope you all have enjoyed it. I look forward to your reviews, hopefully good ones. I am always open to ideas for this story. I have an almost set idea of how this fic will end and what the climax will be, but between then and now I'm still filling in some blanks so ideas are welcome. Also, what happened to Kagome that first year will also be explained in the next chapters. I wish thee well and will see you again soon.

Sincerely,

Tigress.


End file.
